Traveling to Iceland in late Feb

Just got back yesterday.

If you're doing a glacier hike, you're going to need ski pants and gloves. Prepare for cold and wind, especially in the south coast.

For the remainder of the trip, I was fine in jeans and a coat. But if you're thinking of being outside at night for long periods of time trying to see the Northern Lights, then ski pants are helpful.

It was much colder than 25-45 over this past weekend. I would say the high was around 20 most days. But it is a beautiful country and I can't wait to go back.

Feel free to shoot any questions and if I can answer I will. We were in Selfoss, Vik, and Reykjavik, FWIW.

I'll be laying over Saturday and Sunday and will post after I get back.

The forecast sucks arse (rain and snow) so it looks like no northern lights. From what I've read the wind is usually a bigger problem than the cold, the ocean keeps things close to freezing in the winter.

I'm going to try to drive the Golden Circle on Saturday. Sunday I'll probably have to stick around Reykjavik since snow is forecast.

I'm just planning on blue jeans and a good down coat, and a merino wool base, and cold weather hiking boots, and an umbrella.

Driving around the island for 10 days in the summer is on my bucket list.

Go to Publc House for lunch. Really great tapas and the Puffin was insanely good. I wouldn’t trust Icelandic food based on an airplane. Here's the puffin:



Grab drinks at Apotek for happy hour. They are known for their cocktails and they are very good, but they’re about $25 regular price, and half off for happy hour. Here's one of the cocktails I had - it has dill-infused gin and it was extremely good:



You pretty much listed the other good stuff to do as far as museums and such. Just plan accordingly because you don’t have a ton of daylight to work with. Sun rises around 10:30am and sets around 4:30pm this time of year.

The hotdog stand makes for a great lunch.

quote:

---

The hotdog stand makes for a great lunch.

---

I wasn't a fan of their hotdogs.

I think it was mostly the mustard, that stuff was horrible, but compared to prices in the restaurants it's a bargain.

Hell I loved the mustard.

To each their own.

Did you rent a car or use the bus system to get around?

I'll be going for 12-14 days in August. Will likely land at KEF and then take an Air Iceland flight from the domestic airport up to Akureyri. It's about a 45 minute flight and the cost is the same as a one way car rental.

I'll be in the remote parts of the northern island for a week, but won't need a car. After my time there, I'll rent a car a make a tourist drive back to Reykjavik seeing the sights along the way.

This may be a stupid question, but why do people go to Iceland in the winter?

Isn't all of the "touristy" stuff still there in the summer?







My brother just went for a week and said the weather was fricking awful. I asked why he went in January. He didn't really have an answer other than that is what his wife wanted.

(not trying to be a dick, just wondering what the winter draw is)

quote:

---

why do people go to Iceland in the winter?

---

Probably to see the northern lights as much as anything. I'm only doing it because Icelandair lets you lay over for no extra cost and I have meetings in Germany next week. So I'm spending the weekend in Iceland on the way over. They usually don't get too much snow in the winter and the ocean keeps them from getting much below freezing. But the lack of light kinda sucks. You're right; I wouldn't go in January for a vacation. They say March might be the best month for northern lights if that's something you have to see. It's warmer then and there's a lot more daylight but still plenty of dark too.